Nice to be back to the Belfry, this time with fewer unbooked university clubs turning up to vomit on our clothing and snuggle up to us at night! The more worked in set off on a Swildons Short-Round with the fine direction of El Tet, a bounce to the sump and a GB investigation (up the comedy climb - only took one spreader with them - oops!). Sunday saw a St Cuths trip courtesy of Mad Phil, before a Megabus return to London.

Our Winter tour to Yorkshire was a densely packed week of some of the best caving on offer in the UK. We had deep rope trips, novel exploration by the boys with the Bosch GBH aid climbing their way up a 10m chimney above a 35m pitch (alas, the chimney led not to Santa, but to a choked bedding plane), epic expeds through the might of the Easegill system, decadent consumption of roast dinners and the usual caving hut shenanigans.

Too much snow to get to BPF, so dumped bus on the ice floe that was the NPC carpark. King (to King Henry hall + back) & Tatham Wife on Sat - sledged down off the fell by the light of the moon on the 20cm of snow. Sunday saw a Simpson Pot pull through to Valley Entrance, and a spot of Inglesport-bag sledging up Chapel-le-Dale.

Stomping trip to Yorks. Had the NPC to ourself, and a permit for Lost Johns where we had an absolutely stellar trip on the Saturday with a badly planned arduous derig. Saturday saw a trip to Yordas in Kingsdale. Sub zero outside for most of the weekend, but that wouldn't stop us!

Well, the 'fireworks' trip got off to a rather ignoble start when we wandered forgetfully past the cut-price fire sticks in Tescos on our quest for fried breakfast material. So we settled for an epic Saturday exchange trip down Gaping Gill (Flood + Bar), played frisbee & lit up the place with a 15'000 candela hand flare. Sunday saw the determined head down Valley Entrance to giggle at the sumps.

Great set of wet 'n' wild trips this weekend.
1) Went straight to the cave on Friday evening (1am) and caved through the night to avoid the crowds in Swildons (Hallo'ween party with real bats...).
2) Crawled out of bed midday on Saturday before zooming off for more underground rivers in Charterhouse.
3) Absolutely fantastic meal in the super comfy Belfry hut, before getting the bare necessary of shut-eye and then taking on some sump free-diving on Sunday to achieve the Black Hole.

Lovely start to the year down at the SWCC cottage next door to the mighty Ogof Fynnon Ddu system. Big Saturday trip with all the teams meeting up underground at the impressive Top Waterfall. Sunday saw the committed exploring OFD II off the beaten track, following our noses and finding little gems everywhere.

Having finally run out of excuses, a one-man team from ICCC set off on the train to Abergavenny to join the Daren diggers at their Hard Rock Cafe. An amazing weekend to join the Daren crew, a wonderful time had stumbling around the enormity of this complex cave.

Quickly quickly before all the undergraduates arrived, we shot off for a little weekend trip with the JN/EXSS group of the physics department to enjoy the pleasure of Top Entrance (OFD) and the perverse delights of evening games in the WSG hut. Major washout on the Saturday which prevented us from venturing to the streamway, rain had stopped by Sunday lunch in time for a beautiful walk up a hill in the Brecons.

Amazing long weekend in Italy, hospitality by the Kirkpatrick family in the beautiful Asiago (a plateau surrounded by a ring of cavernous peaks), leadership courtesy of the Italian cavers Luca and Massimo (sic.). Was lovely to be back in the cool welcome of an alpine system! Bounced to ~300+m on the Saturday trip and an easy ~200m+ on the Sunday, before driving to Padova to be fed, watered and housed by the Kirkpatricks once more before an early morning flight home.